He got to the Outer Forest very quickly. It then took him 45 minutes to get to the Inner Forest. With the Beast Wave over, the Magical Beasts went back to their original habitats. The 2nd Circle Magical Beasts took over the Inner Forest while the 3rd Circle Magical Beasts went into the Core Forest.
One thing that changed was that the strongest Magical Beasts both died, leaving a gap in power for the 3rd Circle Magical Beasts to fight over. So now all of them were trying to gain control over the Core Forest and gain the magical herbs that grew there.
Meanwhile, Leo finally found his first target. It was a Late-Stage 2nd Circle Magical Beast, the Green Horned Python. The python saw Leo approach it and hissed loudly. It expanded its body and flung itself toward him.
He calmly entered the Shadow World and Shadow Stepped to behind the python. He pointed his hand at the python and cast a Shadowbind Bolt. The bolt raced against the grass and hit the python before it could react.
The python became trapped in the shadow tendrils and didn’t show any signs of being able to escape. The Shadowbind Bolt could hold 3rd Circle enemies for only 5 seconds, but for weaker opponents, it would last 2 minutes. For 1st Circle enemies, it would last as long as his magic would let it last.
He stared at the python struggling to get out of the lock he placed it in and decided to just finish the battle. He cast a Soul Fire Burst at the python, blasting it into smithereens. He walked forward and picked up the core.
After the battle where he one-sidedly destroyed the python, he immediately realized what was missing in Solhaven. Competition. He was one of the strongest people in all of Solhaven and so he no longer had any competition. After all, he couldn’t exactly go to one of the 5 3rd Circle Mages and ask for a duel.
The only way he would have a good fight now would be if he ventured deep into the Core Forest and looked for the 3rd Circle Magical Beasts there, but that was too dangerous for him. So he decided that it was time for him to leave the city altogether.
He then went to the renting office. He had been there a few months ago to pay rent for an entire year altogether. Now he was going to tell them that he had moved out.
“Hi, Leo. Are there any problems with your unit?” She asked.
He shook his head. “No. I’m just informing you that I am moving out.” He said.
“Why? You already paid a year of rent. You have… I think 7 months left.” She said.
“Don’t worry about that. I am moving out of the city. I just wanted to tell you so you don’t have to wonder what happened to me.” He said. He immediately left to go to the marketplace.
In the entire city, he knew only a few people. He was just making his rounds, bidding them farewell. He got to the marketplace and found who he was looking for in the corner, sitting at his shop like usual.
“Trevor!” Leo said. He had a smile on his face. It had been far too long since he had talked to him.
Trevor saw Leo and smiled. “It’s been so long. You changed so much, Leo! You grew taller too.”
Since he was only 14, Leo was still growing up. He had gained a couple of inches of height and gained a few pounds too.
“You’ve gotten older,” Leo remarked. “How have you been?”
Trevor smiled. “Same old. The business has been stable. Still selling the same potions. What about you?”
Leo smiled. “I’m doing good. I’m thinking about joining an academy too.” He said.
Trevor was surprised. “That’s good! Are you going to join the Solhaven Academy?” He asked.
Leo shook his head. “No, I’m thinking of the one in Eldridge.”
“Oh,” Trevor’s face fell. “When are you leaving?”
“Soon. I came by to say goodbye. You are one of the biggest reasons why I am where I am today, so I wanted to give you a parting gift.” Leo said.
He took out a small pouch. It was the same pouch he had used to carry money with him. He put it in Trevor’s hands and turned away. “Goodbye, Trevor.” He said.
“Good Luck there!” Trevor called after him. After Leo left, he opened up the pouch to see what was in it. The minute he did that, he almost dropped the pouch in shock.
Inside the pouch were several notes. It was a lot of money. There was a total of 1 million Starcoins inside the pouch. Even though he bought a lot of Magic Herbs and sold potions, his margins weren’t as high. So in a year he only made 300,000-400,000 Starcoins. But in his hands, he had more than what he made in two years. This could help him buy an actual house.
He looked up to find Leo, but he was already gone. He smiled and looked down. He put the pouch in his pocket and sat back on his chair.
Meanwhile, Leo walked to the inn where he generally ate at. He saw Miller there and walked to him. Miller saw him walk in and greeted him instantly.
“Leo! How are you doing?” He said.
Leo smiled. “I am good. What about you?” He asked.
“I’m good. Are you here to eat?”
Leo shook his head. “No. I’m here to tell you that I’m leaving Solhaven. I wanted to say goodbye to you.”
Miller wasn’t shocked. “Well, you had to someday. Solhaven is too small for you. Make us proud out there.”
Leo smiled. “Here’s a gift for all the nice meals you cooked for me.” He said. He put a similar pouch to what he gave Trevor.
“What is this? You helped me already. You gave me so much money then. Compared to that, I don’t need any other gifts.” He said.
“Lily still has to go to an Aura Knight Academy. You know that. Take this for now. It’s not a lot.” He pushed the pouch into his hands. Miller started opening it to peek into it but Leo stopped him.
“It’s rude to look at what the gift is until I leave. Goodbye, Miller.” Leo said.
Miller smiled. “Goodbye, Leo.”
When Leo walked out, Miller opened the pouch to see what he was hiding from him. He had a very similar reaction to Trevor, but it was magnified. Compared to Trevor, Miller made half as much money. All of the money he made was to sustain his family’s necessities. So 1 million Starcoins would completely change his life. As Leo said, it would be able to send Lily to an Aura Knight Academy.